New Perspective
by MaruTwist
Summary: Molly never thought she'd leave home. She never thought she'd fall in love. She never though she'd save an island she'd never even heard of. But hey, ain't life just full of little surprises? Rated T for language, alcohol and some sexuality.
1. Foreward

Foreward

The springy grasses of Flute Fields cushioned our tired backs as we rested beneath the sky. It sometime seemed as though we were only six feet below the clouds. Beneath the shimmering blue sky; together, and as together as could be. Granted that where the sky ended was immeasurable, the fantasy in our heads that the clouds could brush our noses if we willed it ended abruptly. However, the truth may be hard to process, but within truth, there is only more truth; a greater truth, a more satisfying truth. And that is that the sky begins wherever the ground ends; where ever we are.

And when that bright little ball of energy, yes'm, the one that gives us all being sets in that far-away, never ending sky that begins where we end, we all know that the spell is broken, and the clouds are no longer seemingly six feet above us. Now, there are stars; it may be much easier to believe that we could brush our own noses against the stars, but fantasy, though taking different shapes and forms, is all the same in the end.

Fantasy is fantasy. Truth is truth. Lies are lies.

These near trivial things crossed my mind as I batted away the clouds with my eyelashes, lying there in Flute Fields with him. The grass rustled a bit, and I tilted my head, reluctant, not wanting to move my eyes from my clouds.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Hm?" A half-dazed voice asked me. He opened an eye, raising an eyebrow, quizzically. "I'm right here..."

"Oh, haha, good!" I exclaimed, surprised that I was so happy to discover this.

"... You sure are weird, Molly." He laughed. I loved that laugh.

"Weird? Am not... I'm just kinda happy..."

"Why?"

"I thought you were leaving."

"And?"

Was this conversation getting awkward?

"Well, it's just that I don't want you to leave... Not at all, in fact. This is too fun... So, um... Don't leave, 'kay? Because it's... uh... fun?"

There was that laugh again. "C'mon, Molly, you're a cheese ball for sure. Why would I leave YOU? You're a weirdo, but a cool weirdo, I guess... And don't worry, I know why you want me to stay." He smiled a smile I did NOT like.

"Hm. Well, WHY then, smart guy?"

"I've told you before. You LIIIIIIIKE me~!" He always annoyed me with that stupid grin on his face and the stupid little way that he made fun of me. Geez, what was I, the laughing stock of the town? No, I was NOT. I don't like being laughed at, never have.

"HA, please! As if... You only WISH..." That was my poorly thought response. They were always poorly thought. I wasn't good at improvising.

Once he had settled down from his laughing fit, and I had settled the fumes of hot gas erupting from my ears, we lie back down on our springy grass, looking at our disappearing clouds overhead. We could have kept them. They were only six feet above us, anyway. And they were ours. Like our dreams. But it was time for them to drift away, and time for our stars to shine.

The sky was turning an angry pink, and a ferocious orange, inter-mixing, fighting violently for the attention of the disappearing sun, grasping the last of its fleeting rays. I sighed a great sigh and thought back to times when things were not as easy as they are now. I thought of-

"So, anything changed since you moved here?" he asked me. "I mean, like, I bet it's not as intense as it was starting out... But it's no fun when things settle down, huh? The thrill of getting started with your new life..." He sat up, crossed his arms around his knees half-heartedly and looked at me with solemn, truthful eyes; eyes that I did not see all that often from him. My heart always stopped when I saw those eyes.

"Well..." I closed my eyes and thought back. "It's... Different... Then it was before..." I opened my eyes and looked into his. By the look he was giving me, I was obviously not satisfying his curiosity.

With an exasperated grunt, I sat up and focused my eyes on the blaring sun. It scarred my eyes, yet I did not mind. The sun was feeding memories from the past into me, burning them into my brain, engraving them into my soul. The sun was a messenger. It always was, ever since I came here.

"Let me... Think..."

And I did.

Please, R&R! Chapter 1 is up! ^^


	2. Chapter 1 Here

Chapter 1

_This cart sure is bumpy..._

My first thoughts upon entering Castanet.

_The Harvest Goddess must, um, have her work cut out for her..._ I thought, my eyes wandering over the barren land that was meant to be a wonder to the eye, a botanical paradise, forever a beacon to the soul; that was what Castanet once was. Why the Harvest Goddess had sent me to start my life in a dump like this one, I had no idea. Anywhere away from the quarrels of my parents, my loveless past and my dead-end future was a haven for me, however, so this "dump" called Castanet would have to do.

But it wasn't a dump. My city-living eyes transformed Castanet's fleeting beauty into a sight for very sore eyes. They told me that bright green, fertile bushes were stone gray rocks; boring, unmoving, unloved. _That is me..._ I thought. My thoughts came to a screeching halt.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING SLEEPING, MOLLY?"

"Ugh, shut up, Fin... You didn't HAVE to come.." But every word I said just made Fin angrier and angrier. You see, Fin was a Harvest Sprite created by the Harvest Goddess to specifically assist me with my farming. However, her seemed to think that he was born to SAVE the woman... Well, okay, I admit that maybe it was my MAIN job to save her, and not just run a farm on the land. Fin sure did enjoy harping on this fact that I simply would not acknowledge.

"I will NOT!" The little orange Harvest Sprite steamed as he circled my head in an angry motion. "You already know why we're here, Molly! To-"

"'Help the Harvest Goddess! Help the Harvest Goddess!' Look, Fin, I get it." I mimicked him, hand-motions and all.

Fin angrily darted right between my eyes, little hands on his little hips. "Then why aren't we TALKING TO HER RIGHT NOW? Hmmmm? Hmmmmmm?"

Why did Fin do this to me? He made it sound more about HIM than anyone. "Look, Finny, we haven't even arrived at my new HOUSE yet. We aren't even CLOSE to the Harvest Spring in Castanet, wherever the hell THAT is..." I gingerly laid back against the cushiony hay in the wheel-barrow I was being towed in. "Relax, ya little ball of steam. Lay back. Take a chill pill, or whatever the kids are saying these days..."

Little Finny was not impressed; this was made clear by his rapid yet failing attempts to hurt me by kicking my nose with his little sprite feet. I quickly waved him away, shaking my head in disgust.

"Don't act like you're all old and stuff now that you're living on your own! It's not cool! You're only, what, 18?"

"AHEM, turning 19 this SUMMER, stupid sauce. Get your facts straight!" I smiled slyly and flicked the little guy away. Glitter shook from his flimsy little sprite garments, and fumes of frustration erupted from his tiny-tiny sprite body.

"FINE! Well, when we get to the ranch, we're going STRAIGHT to the Harvest Goddess! We have to get a start on our quest!"

Now Fin was beginning to get a tad bit annoying. OUR quest? What did he think this was, a start on HIS life? Was it HIM moving to a totally new place and starting a farm, or was it ME? I pointed this out.

"Ya know, Fin, this isn't about you! This is MY life!" My eyes closed with a quick and pointed blink. "I decide what paths to take, where to go, and when we decide to pay Miss Harvest Goddess a visit, kaput?" The decision was final.

Before little Finny could respond, a deep and rolling voice was being directed at me.

"You okay back there, little lady?" It was Cain.

"Um, yes sir! Why would I not be?" I giggled sheepishly. I could tell already that I'd soon be known as the nutcase of Castanet if I kept up the way I talked to Fin as though everyone could see him.

"Oh, it's nothing... Just thought I heard ya talking back there... Difficult to hear with the horses a' clompin' down this here dirt road. Now tell me, little lady, what brings ya to our little town?"

Cain was a broad shouldered man with thin brown hair cut neatly, and a nice, firmly set jaw with the kind smile of a father. I liked Cain, but Fin thought he was a flake. I didn't really understand Fin's reasoning, but well, Fin is Fin and that's all there is to it. There's no use questioning the little guy; he was one hell of an arguer.

The question that Cain asked me was not one that I could answer truthfully- it might have been because my mission to save the Harvest Goddess was supposed to be top-secret, OR it could have simply been the fact that I didn't truly know what it was I was looking for in little Castanet. It was... An island of opportunities? Well, I sure didn't think so at the time, so that couldn't be my response. How could I be honest with Cain without blowing my cover? I finally decided that simple was always better.

"Getting a start on farm life!" I responded genially, even though my hesitation was clearly (and awkwardly) apparent. "Ya see, I'm 18, and now that I'm out of the dreary days of high school, it's time for a change! No more city life for me, no siree!" While I tried to sound as joyful as possible, my heart ached for home. For Cranston. Missing my family was easier to dismiss than the fact that Fin was annoying. As if I would miss those constant fights! The conflict! The divorce! I wanted nothing of it. And, it wasn't like friends were abounding or anything. So, with no friends and a family I was glad to leave to their own problems, what did a little city girl have to miss? Maybe it was the rush of the city streets, the speedy pace that never changed, no matter how slow a person you were. Perhaps it was the smell of hot dogs selling on street corners, or the thrill of looking through the windows of "Chanel" and seeing that pair of shoes you'd wanted for forever. It could have even been walking to the Technology World Center and purchasing the video game that you'd been waiting 5 months for, and being able to buy it early because, well, it was CRANSTON; the biggest city in the world. Everything new released there first. Cranston, my home, and it was gone now.

My thoughts shattered when Cain let out a chuckle in that rolling tone of his. "Ahhhh, I see, so city livin' was a little much, huh?"

"Oh, gosh, no, I loved it! It's just..."

"Needed to get away from the folks?" Cain asked, turning half-way to me. When I took a little too long to answer, Cain just laughed that happy laugh of his. "It's okay, little lady, don't hurt yourself. I have a daughter your age, so I'm pretty keen on what girls like you are thinkin'. And you're think' 'bout the future! How can ya head toward the future when your folks are pulling ya into the past? Gotta break free some day..." Cain said, a little tense into that last sentence. "... And get married already..." I heard him mumble, but pretended not to hear.

"I agree, gotta leave the nest at some point." I gazed, a clear frown on my face. Light brown hair fell around my face, and the wind tossed it all around. Great. Wind blown hair. How charming. At least I would look different than my boring self. Brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin, a solemn, natural frown. Nothing too special about me.

After a long silence, Cain finally offered something that peaked my interest. "I think my daughter would like to meet you. She's about your age, her name is Renee. I don't know if you are lookin' to raise animals on that there ranch of yours, but if you need tips, you can ask my kid if ya want." It wasn't so much the animal help that caught my ear's attention. What really caught me was the thought of having a real friend for once in my life.

Friends had never been the first thing on my mind growing up. It was always studies, keeping my parents happy, and making sure that my little sister Alex was taken care of. Alex was only 6 while I was 12, and my parents were always busy fighting, or working their butts off, then coming home just to fight again. It was about time they got a divorce- too bad it couldn't have been before I reached adulthood; well, semi-adulthood. Maybe I could have had a little time for a few pals every once in a while. However, taking care of your little sister as though you were her own MOTHER was a task that took a LOT of patience and organization. Ergo, there was no time for a social life. Now that I was older, I wanted friends, no, NEEDED friends more then ever. But I lacked social skills. That was all I lacked. I suppose I was an attractive girl; I was 5'4 with short, light brown hair and brown eyes, I wasn't fat, and I wasn't a stick. I wasn't flat-chested either, so I guess I was pretty average. I wasn't quite, but I wasn't obnoxious. In other words, I wasn't anything bad, but I wasn't special either. Would that attract friendly companions, or drive them away?

My thoughts were interrupted by Cain's rumbling low voice. I hadn't even noticed the awkward silence that had passed us.

"Erhm... Uh... Do you NOT want to meet her? I mean, it's fine and all, but..."

"Oh, no!" I exclaimed, waving my hands in front of my face as though he could see me. Fin gave me one of those looks- as though he was saying _We don't have TIME for friends! We have to go see the HARVEST GODDESS, HARVEST GODDESS, HARVEST. GODDESS!_

"SHUT UP, FIN." I shouted absent-minded. Cain whipped around, looking worried and slightly confused. "Um... You okay?"

"Oh, yes, I'm fine." I assured him. "Um, about your daughter... I'd love to meet her!" I turned around again. Fin was gone.

"Wonderful!" Cain exclaimed, thrusting the reins to the horse-drawn wheel-borough I was being hauled in. "Renee loves making new friends. And, I have a feeling you'll be an exceptional addition to our town!"

Cain's words flattered me, but I was a little worried about Fin. Where had he gone? He couldn't have possibly been offended by my sudden outburst; I had merely told him to keep his little pixie mouth closed for the time being. That was hardly a crime! But, I had to get my mind off that.

The timed passed by quickly. Cain and I got into an array of various conversations- favorite foods, when our birthdays were; the generic stuff. However, I had never had a real conversation with someone before. Thrilling, that's what the conversation was. Something new to me. If the rest of my life in Castanet was going to be full of opportunities- intelligent talks with towns people, farming experiences, adventures around every corner, and animals! Oh, animals were the best! Well, if everything in Castanet was like that, I figured I should have made the decision to move to this place long ago! Those were the thoughts that ran through my head.

Mid-conversation, I noticed the hill-side dropping immensely and looked ahead. I gazed beyond the dropping, bright green hills and rocky paths, only to set my eyes on a world I had never imagined. If the Harvest Goddess's land was really in trouble, and the island was really dying, you absolutely could have fooled me with the site of this new world. A lush-green farmland stretched for miles, sunlight filtering through the snow white clouds lighting up the country side. Ocean water scented the air with a crisp, salty smell that drew my widened eyes to the stretching world of sea, bright blue and shimmering under the Castanet sky. A gorgeous harbor town, "Harmonic Town", lie off in the distance, below towering mountains that scratched the sky.

My farmland. It MUST have been my farmland... Acres and acres of it, pastures stretching forever, a water mill, plots of land, rivers, the bright blue sea... All of it, mine? It couldn't be! But it was.

Looking back on it, back then, I knew nothing. Not a single thing. I laugh at myself, being so clueless as to what my life would turn out to be. Gazing at the never-ending sky, I really had no EARTHLY idea as to which direction my life would turn.

I was at the cross-roads; heading toward the horizon.

**THANKS FOR READING! KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR CHAPTER 2!**

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**Someone should click it, really... That way, he could help the author make a better reading experience for her readers... **

**Please R & R! ^^**


	3. Chapter 2 There

A/N: Hello! This is a fan fiction I had abandoned a year ago and am now picking up again! This is a very casual, unformed writing that takes on more of the exact, uncut thoughts of the main character. I hope you will read and enjoy! :)

Chapter 2- There

Before I even knew what was happening to me, Mayor Hamilton (or Hambone, as I liked to call him) had met me at my cart and whisked me away before I could even say goodbye to a very startled Cain. I myself was startled, but the adrenaline was too high for me to notice anything else besides my vivid surroundings.

The island wasn't exactly… Well, PERFECT… I mean, I had certainly seen better in the movies. But then again, movies weren't real, and well, this WAS. I'd had a hard time distinguishing reality from the fantasy of public culture, but living in the city your whole life does that to you. It was strange; I felt as though, perhaps, I was actually IN a movie! The first place Hambone and I visited was the "Harmonica Town" I heard so much about from Cain's summary of the island. Sure enough, Cain's description actually DID live up to expectations. I'd never seen such a colorful setting in my entire life! The numerous shops that lined the harbor; the stretch of ocean before it… The vast beach that lay in front of it! And not to mention the absolutely AWESOME smells! I'd never been to a place where the air actually tasted good! Well, then again, I had never left my home before in my entire life… Perhaps that was why I was so overwhelmed by this place! Nevertheless, I took in the shops, sights, color and vibrance while managing to still remain mobile.

Hambone hadn't obliged to introduce me to anyone just yet; I was surprised at how barren the streets were! Sure, it was a bit late in the afternoon, but even so… "Well, Molly, I sure hope you enjoyed the sights today! Isn't Harmonica Town just great?" Mayor Hamilton asked as we strolled to where my house was supposed to be. At this point the sun was setting behind us. I was much too distracted by the divine sight to answer Hamilton's question. Instead, I spun around in a circle and stared into the bright golden ocean, the sun setting on her edge.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" I exclaimed, jumping up on my tip-toes, covering my mouth with my hands, my eyes wide. "That sunset…! I've never seen such a…. Wow!"

I heard Hamilton chuckle and quickly came back to reality. "Ah, it's not the first time I've heard that! Castanet is known for it's exquisite sunsets." At this point, Hamilton was already a few paces ahead of me. I jerked myself back into reality and, after regaining my balance, quickened my pace to catch up. At this point, walking alongside Hamilton as he babbled on about the "wonderful wonders of the paradise that was Castanet," as he called them on multiple occasions, I began to zone out. My eyes fell upon the darkening sky and the multiple stars that I saw budding along it. We never saw stars in the city; never. This, also, was a brand new sight that I decided not to lose my ABSOLUTE EVER LOVING SHIT ABOUT like I had with the sunset, because I didn't need Hamilton thinking some whack job had moved into his town. However, I did begin to feel a strange nervousness develop in the pit of my stomach. I realized shortly after this sensation that I hadn't seen Fin in a long-

"MOLLYYYYYY!" I was suddenly pelted in the face by something orange and soft. Much to my relief AND disdain, it was, of course, Fin. Right when I had begun worrying about him, he had sped back to me at top speed. However, it was a struggle not to react to his sudden ambush, as no one else could see Fin, and well, as mentioned before, Hamilton didn't need to see me talking to "invisible people…" After I blinked a few times, I looked around. Fin was nowhere to be seen. That is, until he fluttered slowly up to my face out of nowhere. The expression on his face was not a pleasant one. I rolled my eyes. "Here we go again…" I thought. "Molly, you didn't have to be so rude to me back in the cart! And you never even said sorry to me! Those words were hurtful and- oh yes and WE NEED TO VISIT THE HARVEST GODDESS RIGHT NOW." He was almost shaking with annoyance, especially when I didn't respond to him, which only made him angrier. Didn't he know I couldn't openly talk to him when I was around actual humans? Fin began to drone on and on about my "responsibilities" and my "lack of respect" as I followed Hamilton up a steep hill. It's quite stressful, you know, having 2 people talking to you at once without either of them noticing the other talk.

I could have sworn my head was about to explode when we finally reached the top of the hill. Night had almost fallen, and the last rays of sunlight were fading behind the ocean. What I saw at the top of that hill was…. Uh… My house…? "Here it is! Impressive, right?" Mayor Hambone, I mean Hamilton said as he skipped down the hill toward my new ranch and home. Now, the farming plot, barn and chicken coop were fairly impressive, but the house… "Please tell me that's a tool shed…" I heard a high-pitched voice whisper in my ear as I realized Fin was totally creeping on my right shoulder. I was too used to his random appearances to jump however. I was much too stunned to do any jumping.

The house was no more than a pile of wood. Perhaps I'm not giving the house enough credit, as it was quite obviously a house; a very poorly built one at that, but it certainly didn't seem to live up to very… Desirable conditions…. Even so, Hamilton seemed excited to show me my new home and I didn't want him to feel that I was unimpressed. I flashed my best smile and proudly proclaimed, "Wow, what a house! I bet it's even better on the inside!" I desperately wanted to see the inside of my new living quarters. However, Hamilton chuckled once again and dragged me by the sleeve, saying something about how I should "not get ahead of myself, for I still had not seen the barn, coop and my land plot." I had to admit, I was also excited to see these too. Hamilton had shown me inside the soon-to-be home of my soon-to-be animals and introduced me to a new baby calf that was a gift from Cain, which I promptly named "Ghost." I couldn't do much but pet her before the anxious mayor was pulling me into the coop. I didn't have any chickens, but I was already making plans on how many to get and what their names could be. Farming was exciting in the pre-planning stage, but only time would tell how I felt about it in the long-run.

Finally, the mayor showed me to my plot of farming land. Now, I had always dreamed of growing crops when I was a young girl; however, nothing grew in my hometown. Everything was mass-produced in factories; my childhood dream seemed more like a fantasy as I grew older. I had never even guessed I would one day actually have that fantasy come true! Hamilton continued to ramble about how to ship crops, which ones were in season, how to water them, where to buy seeds; but I was mentally deciding how I would arrange them all. I already wanted to plan what crops to grow where, or what crops I would be growing at all!

It was time to check out the inside of my "home." I anxiously threw the door open, and Fin dived in before I could even step inside. Let me just say that the inside completely betrayed the outside. The one-room house had wood floors and a lovely yellow wallpaper that was only peeling slightly. A full kitchen, a bed, a table and a bookshelf. It seemed like a generous set up, and I was surely thankful that the inside wasn't quite as un-homely as the outer…

After I had thanked Hamilton for his kindness and watched him disappear from behind the hill, I closed the door behind me and promptly threw myself on the ever-so cozy looking single bed provided for me. Fin swooped by my exhausted head and began his ranting once again.

"Remember, tomorrow we start our quest! We can't let the Harvest Goddess down! Get a good night's sleep so we can be ready for tomorrow." He then laid himself down on the pillow and closed his eyes. He let out a yawn and said the first kind thing he had said to me all day.

"Goodnight, Molly. You'll be a great farmer…"

It must have been about an hour after my head had hit the pillow and, despite my fatigue, I just couldn't close my eyes. I tossed and turned, somehow managing not to wake up Fin, but my body simply refused to settle down. I must have had some really bad nerves or something, but I decided simply laying down wouldn't solve this. I stood. I quietly snuck out the front door and walked down to a small incline on my property. I laid myself down beneath the stars, the stars I had never seen before. A cool spring breeze swept across my face, and I was at ease. It was finally just me and the stars, and everything was right. My wondering thoughts disappeared, and the anticipation of what would come tomorrow was laid to rest.

Tomorrow would be a good day.

I hope to have chapter 3 up soon!Please, Read and Review!


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